


Together, We Are

by onetether



Series: Taang Week 2020 [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Confusion, Ember Island, Escape, F/M, Fighting rebels, Fluff, Plot, Spirit World (Avatar), Swimming, Taang - Freeform, Taang Week, Taang Week 2020, The Nature, The Past, some hindu tales, the prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:46:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26619166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onetether/pseuds/onetether
Summary: “Are you sure? You don’t want to see your parents? I mean not that I don’t want you to come but I’d understand if-”“Twinkles?”“Yeah?”Her hand curled, folding on top of his. “Shut up.”ORToph and Aang start travelling the world together after the rest of the gaang seperates to go live their lives. They travel, and begin to fall in love.
Relationships: Aang/Toph Beifong, Azula & Therapy, Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Kuruk/Ummi (Avatar), Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar)
Series: Taang Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1935145
Comments: 6
Kudos: 82





	1. Lift the Mountain

**Author's Note:**

> My first multichaptered atla fic for taang week! This fic has the prompts from day 3-7. You can read them as one-shots, or in continuity as one fic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for the prompt Day 3: Spirit World, but it got too long so I split it up into two chapters! This chapter is set up, and in the next we get to the Spirit World stuff.

Three years after the war. Aang couldn’t believe it’s been that long. It took one year for the weekly assasination attempts on Zuko’s life to stop, another for them to help Zuko to find Fire Lady Ursa, and three years for his family to split up(Zuko had already stopped joining them), realizing that they couldn’t stay together anymore. Not when they all had duties to the world, and most of them weren’t children anymore. Zuko, Sokka, and Suki were all adults, and Katara had been acting like one since he’d known her. 

Thinking back to two and a half years ago, when he and Katara had officially called it quits, he remembered how his heart didn’t actually break. He had loved Katara since she broke him out of that iceberg, but they both had realized that she wasn’t IN love with him. That’s how she had explained it as they sat on the cold, metal bench in Fire Lady Ursa’s Garden. “I love you Aang,” she had said, “but I’m not in love with you.” Aang had realized in that moment too, that he hadn’t been in love her either. Wouldn’t have gotten over seeing her like that so quickly if he had. They were better as friends. He could see her now, wandering the garden below teasing Zuko, who looked like he was on the verge of laughter or annoyance. 

“Heya Twinkle Toes.”

Aang jumped, almost falling backwards off of the window ledge, “Toph!” He exclaimed, “How did you-“

“Sneak up on you?” Toph smirked, striding towards him. “I’m me. And you were too busy eavesdropping on Sparky and Sugar Queen so you can tease them tomorrow.” Aang sat up straight, indignant. “I was not! I’m just appreciating the view,” he said, gesturing to the sky. She shrugged, nudging his feet off the ledge to make room for her. She jumped onto the ledge, nestling herself across from Aang and crossing her arms. 

“So, where to Twinkle Toes?”

He sighed. Well, he would have to face the inevitable. “The peace summit is over, Katara’s staying here to sort Water Tribe stuff out, Sokka and Suki are going back to Kyoshi, and I got a hawk the other day. King Kuei needs my help putting down a rebel group that moved to the Earth Kingdom years ago. There’s new data about their whereabouts so I guess I’m headed there. Alone.” 

A heavy feeling, heavier than an armadillo settled in his chest. He was going to be truly alone--just him, Appa, and Momo--for the first time since he came out of that iceberg. No grumbly Sokka in the morning, no smell of Katara making breakfast. Zuko hadn’t been traveling with them for a while, but Aang had missed Zuko’s bad jokes and horrible tea in those few months. And Toph. Out of everyone, he would feel the empty air where she sat on Appa, and miss her the most. Her loud, brash complaining but steady sureness of everything grounded Aang. _I don’t want to move on._

“--Gaoling, so I’m coming with you.” Toph said, pulling Aang out of his reverie. “Wait, Toph, what did you say?” She rolled her eyes at him, looking very amused. “I’m coming with you to the Earth Kingdom.” 

“Oh.” Of course she was, she needed a ride to Gaoling to see her parents, or to Ba Sing Se to visit Iroh. “Are you going to Gaoling?” 

Toph leaned forward, bringing her hand up to knock Aang’s head. “You alright in there? No Twinkles, I’m coming with you. To whichever village that takes us to. I’m ready to beat up some rebels.” Her hand moved back, pulling away from him, but Aang grabbed it with both hands. He turned over her hand, the palm facing up and clasped their hands together. The armadillo in his chest reared back, raising its head. 

“Are you sure? You don’t want to see your parents? I mean not that I don’t want you to come but I’d understand if-” 

“Twinkles?”

“Yeah?” 

Her hand curled, folding on top of his. “Shut up.” 

He smiled, the armadillo in his chest dissolving into a bird, happily fluttering as Aang grew light, realizing he wouldn’t be alone. He let go of Toph’s hand, both of them leaning back against the ledge walls, and looked out across the city again. 

The sun was setting, sending a splatter of reds across the sky, a tumultuous wave of orange washing everything in a glow, like fire. Slight drops of pink, purple, magenta appeared, and decorated the orange as if they were jewels atop a golden necklace. Draped on top, was a blanket of deep blue, where Aang spotted the first stars, twinkling like glitter caught in wool. The sun itself was a near crescent disappearing in the horizon, but still burnt a hole in the sky, the brightest star. It seemed to be brighter than before, as if it too could sense that Aang was happier. He sighed, whirling his hands in small circular motions to send a breeze across to Toph who grumbled in response. 

“What? Let me enjoy the view.” 

“Okay, it is beau-TOPH!”

She snickered, shaking her head. “Everyone falls for it. Life’s good.” He had the urge to throw a rock at her, but instead he jumped off the ledge, back into his bedroom. “Let’s go.” Toph raised her eyebrows. “Let’s head out now, at night. Appa has been restless for a week, he’ll be fine. We’ll leave a note for Zuko.” 

She shrugged her shoulders in indifference and hopped off the ledge. Aang watched as she leaned down to pick up a sack on the ground, one that definitely belonged to Toph. “You already packed?” he said. “I know you too well, comes with being your Sifu.” Toph replied, walking over to him. Aang held out an arm--which Toph swatted away--and they both ran out of the room. They sneaked through the hallways, avoiding world leaders, councillors, and Aang’s least favourite, Toph’s father. Quickly popping into Zuko’s chambers he slipped a note under the door and sped away before the guard could come back from the non-fight that had broken out(courtesy of Toph destroying a statue and yelling in different voices). 

“TOPH! Why are you destroying a statue?” 

Aang winced, that was definitely Zuko. He knew Toph would find a way to escape, so Aang continued out of the palace, earthbending through a wall and out the side of the palace. 

Skidding out the side of the palace, he looked out around, spinning wildly in search of Toph and blowing his bison whistle at the same time. 

Appa landed on the lawn, next to the dragon fountain and groaned again. Aang ran over, jumping onto Appa for a very one-sided hug. “I missed you, buddy.”

“AANG! Let’s go!” came Toph’s voice. He looked up, spitting out a mouth of Appa’s fur and saw Toph running across the lawn. He jumped up, sitting on Appa’s head as Toph came closer. “You’re going to have to sit here with me Toph, his saddle isn’t on right now.” 

Toph nodded, stomping on the ground to earthbend herself up, and forwards. “Hey be car-oof!” He caught her, grunting at the force at which she had barreled into him. “Okay, yip yip!” Toph said, grinning at Aang. Appa groaned one more time, and Momo appeared, flying down to rest on Toph’s shoulder. She took hold of Aang’s right arm, wrapping her hands tightly and leaning slightly onto him. Appa took flight, heading for the Earth Kingdom. He didn’t look back, and instead looked at Toph, who was grinning from the adrenaline rush. He smiled, and turned forwards to the open night sky. 

_______________

Toph didn’t understand what was so great about rambutans. Sure, they exploded in her mouth, and were the best fruit she had ever tasted, but they were definitely not worth all this trouble.

_FSHHHH! BOOM!_

“We’re surrounded!” Aang yelled out to her right, as the Phoenix Feathers(whichever rebel that thought of that name deserved to be buried six feet under) barreled towards them, shooting flames. Toph couldn’t penetrate through the wood wall, or platform or whatever wood thing that blocked her senses. She couldn’t feel anything besides Aang and any rebels within one bison in front of her. As a last resort, she moved her hands, pushing down and stomping to raise a dome of earth and deflect the flames. Then she sent out a wave of earth, burying the rebel. Toph felt annoyed. They had spent a month here, tracking down the rebels, and then just as they decided to check another village they had been ambushed. She felt Aang roll into the dome, making an entrance for himself. “Aang, where’s Appa?”

She heard him shake his head. “I left the whistle in our room, I thought we were just going to pick fruits for a snack! There’s too many of them Toph, I need to go into the Avatar State,” he said, panting heavily. 

Toph who had been throwing boulders at the rebels through a peephole whipped around alarmed. “Okay, but be careful they have us surrounded, and the wood platforms they’re standing on isn’t doing me any favours,” she replied, turning back around to shoot a spear of earth at an offender. 

She felt Aang roll out, pulling water from the nearby river and dousing the entire group. Then she heard Aang’s voice ring out. “Fire Lord Ozai’s reign is over. Surrender now. Or I’ll have no-” 

_WHIZZ! WHIZZ! WHIZZ!_

Toph blinked. She had no idea what that was. It couldn’t be earth or metal, meaning something wooden had been shot at Aang. She felt the ground for vibrations, for the light footsteps that meant Twinkles was alive. She found no vibrations, just a faint heartbeat that beat against the ground. A constant Thump. Thump. Toph concentrated, and then felt Aang’s body being dragged across the ground, and then disappeared onto what she assumed was the wood. “He’s knocked out,” she realized. But the only thing that they could have used to subdue the Avatar like this was Shirshu poison, meaning the group had someone acquire the poison, shoot Aang and then knock him out. “Fizzle sticks.” she muttered. Somehow she would have to fight a group of around 20 benders that were using wood as a weapon. Her best bet was to go quickly, bend the earth so it became unstable, and grab Aang and go. They could defeat the group another day. Toph took a breath. In. Out. She moved her arms, pushing them outwards, and the dome collapsed, as she moved the earth into slushy mud. 

“Release him and I’ll let you go!” she called out, frowning. She couldn’t sense the rebels, but she could feel Aang’s body. She dragged her foot in a circle, propelling herself forward on a flat piece of Earth, right up to Aang. 

“Come on Twinkles, GET UP. You are not letting me die here, and I’m not letting you die here.” She grabbed onto Aang’s arm rolling him over next to her, when she felt two, no four, no eight pairs of feet suddenly behind her. “There you are,” she said, smirking. As she raised her hand to send a wall of earth at the rebels, she felt a hand tug on her collar--from where she had no idea, this rebel was not standing on the ground--and suddenly Toph was blind. The darkness enveloped her, panic rising in her chest as she rushed forward and was met with bars. Wooden bars. “HEY! What the hell are you doing? What is this?”

She was still clinging to the bars when a face came close, and let out a hot breath over her face. “You’re our insurance. And the bait for the Fire Lord,” came a gruff male voice, a rough hand almost making contact with her face. She jumped back, shuddering. Backing up until she hit the back wall, Toph yelled,“I am NOT bait. And neither is Aang. Let. Us. Go.” She heard the smirk in the man’s voice as he replied, “You don’t think that’s actually going to work, do you?” Toph huffed, but stood tall in defiance. “I’m going to get out of here. And then I’m going to bury you.” The man chuckled, and Toph heard a tapping noise behind her. She whipped around, holding her hand out in front of her, but only managed to whack it against the wooden wall. “You’re not going anywhere. Not surrounded by wood, with no Earth or metal with you in there. Sit down. Relax. We’re going to find a good hiding place.” Toph’s hands closed into fists--her right still throbbing from the impact with the wall--shaking angrily beside her, but she didn’t say anything. The more this guy talked, the more information she got to use for their eventual escape. 

Suddenly, the cell started shaking. Moving so much that she fell, landing on her butt. She heard a faint, “Enjoy the ride,” as if she were elevated somehow and being dragged away. Toph ran to the side where she had heard the voice, banging on the cell wall. “You’re all going to pay! I am the greatest earthbender in the world!” No reply came. She sighed, flopping down to sit. Then she remembered. “Aang?” Silence. She couldn’t even sense his heartbeat in this wooden cage. Toph reached out, her hand quivering as she felt the floor around her, hoping that they had put her and Aang in the same cage. She moved forwards, crawling across the cage, until her hand hit a body. Carefully, she traced the arm? Yes, it was an arm. Toph was pretty sure this was Twinkle Toes, but just to make sure, she moved down to his hands. Her touch, lighter than a feather. Yeah, this was Twinkles, no one had softer hands than him. “Okay, Twinkles. You’re going to have to wake up before we get to their base or whatever. If they have this wooden cage, then whatever prison they throw us in will definitely be just more wood.” 

Then a thought struck her. “But they’ll keep shooting you with Shirshu poison. They definitely will because you’re the Avatar and you can see and use any of the other elements to make it through the wood. So, Twinkles, you’re going to have to help me here. Wake. Up. We need to escape before we get there.” She rested her hand on Aang’s chest, where she could feel his heart again. 

_Thump. Thump._

Aang didn’t wake up. She sighed heavily, leaning back on the- “Oof!” She fell backwards, her back smacking against the rough wood floor of their cage. “Damn it.” The wall had not been right behind her. Toph hated this. When she had gotten trapped in a wood cage with Katara, she hadn’t felt this overwhelming fear of being completely blind like she did now. At least then, Katara had been conscious to talk to her and be Toph’s eyes. Now Twinkles wouldn’t wake up. “Okay, Toph Beifong, greatest earthbender in the world, figure out this solution yourself. And fast.” 

There was no way to know how far the hiding place was, the quicker they escaped, the better. Toph laid there, next to Twinkles and thought. Her mind was a tornado, thoughts spiraling, she was unable to think of anything. Not a single thing. She did remember a story though. A tale that she hadn’t thought about in years, not since she started participating in earthbending matches. Lying down in this cage, Toph remembered her other cage, and the secret she had been. The secret blind Beifong daughter. When visitors would come from all over the world and eat with her parents, she would hide in the wall, earthbending a cave for her to sit in and listen to their stories. Today, one of the stories came to her. A story that had been told in an accent unknown to her, one that reminded her of sweets and spices. 

“Do you want to hear a story Twinkles?” Aang didn’t reply again. So Toph began:

_Long ago, lived a little boy named Krishna. His childhood home, named Brindavan, celebrated Lord Indra with a festival each year. Krishna not knowing this, woke up confused. During the rainy season, most of the villagers slept in, and they would not be sweeping the streets and hanging up lanterns and garlands as they did now. Krishna found his father, and asked him. “Father, what is happening on the streets?_

_”The villagers are preparing to celebrate a festival to worship Lord Indra," said Nanda, his father. "This year, the rainfall has been more generous and everybody is happy with the fertile crops. Since Indra is the God of rains, we should thank Him for being so kind to us!"_

_"How do know that Lord Indra is the one who's causing rains, Father?" Krishna said. He did not agree with his Father._

_"Of course it's Indra who's causing the rains, Krishna. He is definitely the reason for our good fortune. He's the God of the Rain and Thunder and he rules them... so he is the one who has blessed us with good rain this year," he replied hesitantly to his son._

_Krishna shook his head. “No father, you are wrong. Govardhan Mountain is our real friend. More than the clouds above, the mountain in our village has helped us."_

_"How can you say that?" asked Nanda, confused and in disbelief._

_"The fertile mountain sends signals in the air and creates clouds that drift over the Brindavan and give us rainwater." replied Krishna. "So whom should we praise and worship? Not Lord Indra, but Govardhan Mountain!"_

_Nanda and the other Gopalas who were working nearby gasped in surprise. How could Krishna dismiss Lord Indra, God of the Clouds and direct them to worship a mere mountain instead! This was the first time that they heard about such a thing._

_Krishna’s brother, Balaram came up, "Yes, father," he said. "Who gives us medicine in the form of magical herbs and plants? Who sends us clean water and air from the top of its peak?_   
_"And who gives us good grass for our cows, so that they give us milk that's sweeter than honey? It is Govardhan!"_

_The disbelief and doubts of the villagers began to disappear as they began to see Krishna’s point. Krishna smiled, and said, “So why should we not worship the mountain? We should give thanks to something that is right in front of us, rather than some deva who lives comfortably in the heavens."_

_Hearing Krishna's words, the Gopalas were totally convinced. They all agreed to worship Govardhan that year, instead of Lord Indra. But Krishna’s father was apprehensive, for he feared that this shifting of loyalty might call upon the wrath of God._

Toph chuckled to herself at this part of thinking about the story. “Then don’t listen to the child” she thought. 

_In heaven, Lord Indra looked down at Brindavan angrily, “How dare that little boy stop the celebration’s in my name?” Indra’s pride was insulted by the Gopalas’ decision to celebrate Govardhan instead of him. In retribution, he decided to punish the village of Brindavan._

_“I will send floods and thunderstorms to Brindavan,’ he thought cruelly. “The entire village will be destroyed, let’s see who saves them then!”_

_Using his divine powers, Lord Indra created clouds that seemed to be darker than the midnight sky. "Go and destroy Brindavan!" he ordered._

_And they heeded their Master's command. Without any delay, they grouped together to form a menacing army of clouds and raced towards the village where Krishna and innocent families resided._

_After a delicious lunch, the people of Brindavan were dozing in their homes. Suddenly they heard a terrible sound._

_CRASH!_

_Everybody was alarmed and came out of their homes. What they saw outside took their breath away._

_It was noon in Brindavan, but nobody would be able to say it was. The whole village had become pitch dark. The sun was nowhere to be seen. Instead, black and terrible looking clouds had enveloped the village. They surrounded Brindavan in a thick mist, darkening the day, making it gloomy._

_The clouds looked evil and menacing, but they stood suspended in the air and didn't rain. It seemed as if the clouds were waiting for somebody, or rather, for some signal._

_Krishna heard the frightened voices of the villagers. He was curious and came out of his house. But as soon as he stepped out, there was a great roar and the black clouds poured rain over Nanda's house. It seemed as if this was what the monstrous clouds had been waiting for._

_The dark sky seemed to open with a vengeance. Hard rain came down in torrents, flushing away the cattle and the frail huts. The mere thatched roofs were no match for the terrible downpour._

_"Run! screamed a man in terror and people started to run for their lives. They ran in all directions, to save their family and belongings. But even escape seemed difficult for the Brindavan people. The hard and blinding rain lashed over their faces, as if giving slaps for some unknown offence. Nowhere could they take any shelter for nothing seemed to be strong enough against this mighty cloudburst. The innocent and helpless people wailed in the face of such a calamity. They prayed for some divine help._

_The clouds did not stop, as lightning and thunder supported them in riling up the villagers in fear. Floods swept the streets, cows swimming in fear, horses neighing loudly._

_Krishna’s father came to him. "Do you see, son? This is no ordinary rainstorm. This seems to me to be the punishment of our transgression. It is difficult to escape the wrath of Gods. That is why we worshipped Lord Indra all these years, Krishna .Because we decided to ignore Lord Indra this year, he's punishing us. Now, innocent people are suffering because of your idea... What do we do now?"_

_Krishna looked at the skies. "Ah, Indra, your ego has grown! I understand your plan. You want to teach us a lesson, don't you? But first, you need one!"_

_Thinking so, Krishna laid a reassuring arm on his father._

_"First, we need to focus on keeping the villagers safe, Father," he said and walked to the centre of the town. Using his most commanding voice, he called out:_

_"People of Brindavan. Look at me. Do not run. Do not panic!"_

_The Gopalas looked at Krishna miserably. They had known the boy for long. They knew that he was not an ordinary human and possessed some mysterious powers. But what can the boy possibly do in such a situation?_

_"This is all our fault!" somebody murmured. "We insulted Indra and now he's punishing us," said another in misery._

_"Yes Uncle, what you say is right. This is indeed an evil plot of Lord Indra," replied Krishna, looking at the man. "But like before, Govardhan would help us once again. Come this way and I will show you how!" he declared and led them to the mountain._

_Krishna looked up and smiled at the clouds. He touched the ground in front of Govardhan mountain with his pinky, and cracks began to appear, encircling the entire mountain. And in a blink of the eye, he lifted Govardhan Mountain, like an umbrella, with just his little finger._

“Toph?” 

Toph jumped, startled by Aang’s voice. She sat up to look at him and reached out, grasping his hand. “Twinkles! You’re awake! Finally! Now power up and get us out of here.” 

“I can’t-I can’t move Toph.” came Aang’s voice, croaky and small. 

“Fizzle sticks. You’re still feeling the effects of the shirshu. Guess it’s up to me then.” she said, gathering her wits and thinking about the story. Find the creative solution. Use what you have. Use their ego against them. She looked down, and saw her space bracelet still on her arm. Toph smiled.

Patting Aang’s arm, she stood, and made her way to the back of the cage. She listened closely for voices, sounds, anything to signal there were guards riding behind the cage, watching her. She was met with only the grinding noise of wheels against the earth. “The cage is on some kind of trolley, a moving wood platform.” she told Aang, gesturing(hopefully) to the outside of the cage. “I can’t see it Toph, I’m facing the other way and I can’t move.” 

Toph rolled her eyes, “That makes two of us Twinkles, use your ears Mr. Fly Guy!” 

“That’s a new one,” Aang muttered back. 

Toph strode quickly over to him, only stumbling for a moment. She grabbed both his hands, and dragged Aang over, right next to her at the back of the cage. 

“Toph? I can see you now, what’re you doing?”

She rolled her shoulders back in preparation. “I’m going to lift a mountain.” 

“Toph, a mountain? What are you going to do with a mountain?” 

“Well not an actual mountain, and not right now Twinkles. Wait and listen.” 

Toph squated, bringing her shoulders down and bending her knees. She held up her palms, facing away from her and unclasped her space bracelet. She couldn’t make a sword or anything pointy enough without Aang to melt it, but she could make a ball. 

She stretched the space rock, making it form a ball about the size of Momo’s head(she presumed). Breathing in, Toph gathered everything in her. Her strength, her courage, her skill. The years she spent by herself honing her bending, building her power from herself, within herself. She felt it all come to her now, as her bending always did when she called upon it. It gathered in her like water building up behind a dam, like a bird wanting to be let free of its cage. “Bye, space rock.” she whispered down at the ball. 

With all her strength, Toph flung the ball down, as hard as she could. And, as she knew it would, the wood cage broke, as well as the wood platform beneath it. “Toph! Wha-what are you doing?” 

“Saving you and me,” she replied as she laid down and stuck her arm through the hole. She let her fingers stretch out, until she felt the burn and skid of earth. “Ow.”

She pulled her hand back up, grimacing as she felt the bruise forming. 

“Toph, you don’t expect us to jump out of that, do you? ...Yes you do, don’t you.” Aang said. 

She smirked. 

“Okay Twinkles, I’m going to push you through, you’ll get hurt, but you’ll live. Then I’m going to jump through, and I’ll be fine cause I’m going to earthbend us out of here. Then, I’m going to bury these idiots under a mountain.” She grabbed Aang again, under the arms and dragged him to the hole’s edge. 

“Toph, you don’t have to bury them. Just, leave them be. We can track them down another time.” 

She rolled her eyes, chuckling morbidly as she ripped both her sleeves off. “They stuck me in a wooden cage. They knocked you out. They’re threatening Sparky cause they love Loser Lord so much. I am NOT letting these rebels go free. Give me your hands.” 

She felt two hands, soft like a baby’s, touch her bare arm. She grabbed the first, wrapping it with her first sleeve. Over and under. “Don’t want to scrape your hands. The second you hit the ground you’re gonna get scrapped up, and your baby hands can’t handle that.” she muttered, finishing with Aang’s first hand and picking up the next. “Okay, I’ll be fine Toph. It’s probably not even that far down if you could reach it.” Aang replied, his wrapped hand coming up to her shoulder and squeezing it. 

Toph took a step back, and picked Aang up again. Straining herself to keep him above the hole. “Don’t make a sound,” she whispered into his ear. She dropped him. 

_PSHH…_

She didn’t waste another second, and jumped through the hole, right after Aang, and as her feet met the Earth, Toph grinned. 

She dove into the Earth, pushing herself away from the cage towards Aang. As she came up to him, she could sense that he was sprawled across the road oddly. “Twinkles? Twinkles, you okay?” No response. She felt his heartbeat though, which meant Aang had gotten knocked out again. “It’s probably not even that far down if you could reach it” she mimicked Aang. She bent down, picking up Aang’s right hand gently. “Stay here.” 

She let go of his hand, and took a step forward. She still felt the rumbling of the wheels against the Earth, the rebels weren’t far. Toph bent her knees, splayed her hands out and pulled up on the hill to her right. She heard roots ripping, trees toppling, but she didn’t stop, raising her arms until she held them above her head, and the hill also, floated above her. Then, she heard the rebels’ shouts. “When I told you I’m the greatest earthbender in the world, I MEANT IT!” she yelled. And then she threw the hill. 

BOOM!

The hill flattened the cage, rebels, and even some of the trees on either side of the road. She turned back, dusting her hands off on her thighs. As she reached Aang, she stomped her left foot and raised her arms, creating a rock that held them. She moved her arms in a circular motion, and they shot forward, moving back towards the village. “I’m doing all the work. This relationship is very one-sided Twinkles.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow so this got long. So long that I have two chapters for one prompt. Whoops? Anyways, the story is actually a real tale about Krishna that I was told as a bedtime story in my childhood, but in this fic Toph didn’t finish it, so if you want to know how it ends, check out these links:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC4bpckXmgY
> 
> http://aumamen.com/story/krishna-lifting-govardhana-giri-lord-krishna-s-miracle


	2. She's her, but different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for the Spirit World(not before fluff though).

Aang regained consciousness with a pounding headache blooming at the back of his head, a cool, soothing sensation on his legs, and an itch on his elbows. He slowly opened his eyes, blearily looking down at himself. Aang’s legs had multiple bandages wrapped around them, which looked as if they had been soaked in a poultice of some kind, and his elbow up to his shoulder was also wrapped. Looking at the wall opposite of him, he spotted his bison whistle on a table in front of the bed. He looked around the room, rotating his head slightly and recognized the room, he was back in the inn he and Toph had been staying at. _Toph!_

Aang shifted, moving his arm to push himself up when he felt a hand tighten around his. When he looked down to his left, there was Toph. She was still dressed in the same dirt-covered clothes they had been captured in, with her ripped sleeves, but now she slept peacefully beside him(he reddened a bit at the fact they were in bed together). Her face was a blank canvas of peace. Her mouth was tilted in a slight smile, her eyebrow straight, in a peaceful expression. Toph’s hand was holding on to his--Aang’s hand had been unwrapped from Toph’s sleeve--and her body curled around their hands. He smiled softly at the sight, gripping onto her hand. He laid back down, taking a moment to drink in a quiet, peaceful Toph.

As he gazed across the bed at her, he noticed how her hair fell over her face, falling down like a bundle of crow feathers, obscuring her eyes. With his other hand, Aang reached out, hand quivering as he tenderly brushed the hair back, tucking it behind each ear. Aang took his hand back, retreating as Toph murmured in her sleep. _What if I had lost her today? No more jokes. No more sparring. No more laughs, and secrets and smiles and glances-_

He took a breath to steady his heartbeat. Aang laid there, eyes moving back to Toph to watch as she rose and fell with each breath, as her eyes shifted behind her eyelids. The slope of her nose twitched, as her lips puckered. He smiled, resting his hand on top of their joined ones as a warmth trickled down, something sweet like honey but hot like fire flakes, pooled in his stomach. She saved him. “ _Not the first time either,”_ Aang thought, suddenly remembering how it was Toph’s seismic sense lessons that had ultimately saved his life, and the world. He let a shuddering breath out. Toph kept saving him, in between all the snips and small glances and twinkling laughter. 

And this is the day that Aang would later remember, that he began to fall in love with Toph Beifong. 

It didn’t happen immediately, like one would think. But Aang would later tell Katara that it was the little things. The little moments in which Aang fell for her. 

In the following months, the both of them went around the Earth Kingdom, squashing rebellions, visiting Fire Nation colonies to negotiate, and beginning to plan the Council of Five. In the initial months, Aang began to notice more of the little things Toph did and said, and fell in love with her even more. When she was late to a meeting, and came scurrying in and said “Sorry, I stopped at the market on the way here,” he knew what that actually meant. It meant “The villagers aren’t happy Aang,” “This is bad” “You need to do something.” It was like they had developed their own way of speaking to each other. When Aang left Toph with councilors to go deal with a riot and then came back and she would say “You’re back!” He knew she meant “Could have saved me sooner?” “Is everything okay?” “I’m lost in this meeting” “You were gone too long,” “You idiot.” His chest would swell, and he would squeeze her hand, and the meeting would continue. 

Aang loved the soft parts of her, sleeping next to each other, curled around their joined hands like two halves of something whole. The rough edges of her sarcasm, the sharp knives of arguments when they didn’t agree, and everything in between. Aang began to love Toph completely, wholly. 

That’s when the nightmares started. 

It had been two months since the ambush incident, near a quiet Earth Kingdom town called Gilun. They had stopped here on the way to Ba Sing Se, Appa refusing to go any farther without sleep. They set up camp, Toph building an earth tent for them both, and then curled up, immediately succumbing to the darkness of sleep. 

In his sleep, Aang tossed and turned, his hand ripping away from Toph’s to form a fist.. In these dreams, over and over again, he saw water crowding into a cave. A familiar looking cave. He was transported to the inside of the cave, water swirling around him, as if he was the one controlling it. In the water, he saw faces flow by, except the faces were all the same. A stolen face, a face he should know. The face would come up out of the water to kiss him and then when he raised his hand to touch the face, it would flicker, distorting into shadows and cracks. The face would fall away, peeling, and he saw Toph faceless again, like he had the day before the solar eclipse. His chest constricted, and he yelled in fear, trying to run to Toph--she stood far away now--but unable to as a creature dragged him into the dark. Aang kept screaming, his throat going hoarse until he woke up, gasping. 

“Aang?”

He looked over, heart still thumping loudly in his chest, and saw Toph gazing at him, sleep still in her eyes. 

“Aang, what is it?” He shook his head, not knowing what to say. 

“Don’t worry Toph, they’re just nightmares.” He rolled over, facing away from her. “Go back to sleep.” 

He heard Toph get up, and walk around him. She came into view, dragging her feet and sat down. 

“No.”

He sighed. If she didn’t go to sleep, neither would he. Deciding to make the most of it, Aang moved, shifting his head from the ground to Toph’s lap, which was infinitely more comfy. He turned so he could see her looking down at him. One of her hands rose to hold Aang’s hands on his chest, while the other traced his face. He squinted up at her, and jerked back when he found milky, green eyes staring back. “You’re the Avatar,” she whispered, as if she didn’t want to break this careful moment they were in, “Maybe the nightmares actually mean something? Couldn’t you ask some spirit about it?”

Aang bolted up, splintering the moment. “I don’t know about spirits, but I could ask my past lives! They might be trying to tell me something.” He looked back at Toph, who looked annoyed. “Okay, you go do that. I’m going back to sleep.” She shoved Aang, pushing him away from where he had been laying before, and she laid down in the heat of where his body had been before, facing away from Aang. He carded his fingers through her hair, the black silky strands falling through his fingers. “G’night Toph.” He leaned down, and placed a whisper of a kiss at the top of her head and got up. “Night, Twinks,” Toph mumbled back. 

Aang turned back, hesitant to leave, when Momo flew in squawking and landed on his shoulder.

“Shhh….Toph’s sleeping Momo. Keep her company for me?” Momo blinked at him and then flew to Toph’s side, curling up next to her. Aang smiled, and ducked out of the tent. Stretching, he looked up at the night sky. Today, it looked as if an artist had painted the sky with a midnight blue, almost as dark as Toph’s black hair, the stars braided into the sky like bright flowers. 

Aang found a tree, not too far from camp, and sat down, crossing his legs. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, calling upon the Avatar spirit and entering the Avatar State. 

“Please, I need your wisdom.” Aang said, facing the tree. A white light so bright, burned through Aang’s eyelids, and he opened his eyes to see the Spirit World in front of him. He was in a different part of the Spirit World, one he didn’t recognize. This was not the same murky, swamplike Spirit World that he had come to during the Siege of the Northern Water Tribe, or him as a spirit in the physical world, but a strip of land with a black ocean on one side, and a blue ocean on the other. Aang spun around, gazing as far as he could into the horizon, and all he could see was the sliver of land, and the two oceans. “If this is a metaphor, I’m completely lost.” he said, the words reverberating into the air. 

“Young Avatar.” 

Aang blinked, and there was Avatar Kuruk, the last waterbending Avatar before him. In the Spirit World, Kuruk looked in pain, his face carrying a frown that seemed to stretch as he spoke, as if pain had been etched into his very DNA. 

Remembering himself, Aang bowed. “Avatar Kuruk, I need your wisdom. I’ve been having dreams. Dreams that barely make sense, but at the same time feel like a memory. What’s happening?”

Kuruk bowed his head, as if saddened by a forgotten memory. “Your bond is so strong...I should not have interfered.” 

“What?” Aang asked incredulously, “Is something going to happen to Toph? Are we in danger?” 

Kuruk looked up at Aang, blue eyes holding him still. “No, Aang. I….” 

Aang tapped his foot, his patience running thin(maybe Toph was getting to him). 

“Do you remember my story?” Kuruk said suddenly. Aang nodded, thinking back to when he asked for guidance last, on the lion turtle. 

Kuruk looked out at the black ocean as he spoke. “When I died, trying to take my revenge on the spirit Koh, I tried to find my love’s spirit here. Reunite with her, but I was unable to.” Aang’s eyes widened, in startling realization. “Her spirit had been reborn, into-” 

“Toph.” Aang said her name like a prayer, like a song, like his love. 

He wandered over to look down at the blue ocean, clear water lapping at his bare feet. “She’s Ummi.” 

Kuruk turned around to look at Aang. “Yes.” Kuruk smiled, a small stretch of lips, as if his muscles had forgotten how to pull in that direction. “But she is also not. Ummi in this life is not how I knew her. In my time, she didn’t mind my go-with-the-flow attitude. We both were satisfied to stay in our safe, secure circle of understanding. Aang stilled his feet, which had been walking towards the black, slimy water next to Kuruk. “Then she died, and I realized too late that as the Avatar, I could not do that. Before you met her, you were a little like me Aang. Running away from responsibility.” 

Aang quirked an eyebrow, “Yeah...but I was also a 12-year-old kid.” Then remembering that he was talking to a past Avatar he amended his reply, “But, you do have a point. Sometimes I still feel like doing that.” 

Kuruk nodded. “We both needed to take chances, push ourselves, step out of what we know. I didn’t ever see the need to do that. You did, young Avatar, which is what makes you so different to me.” 

Aang pulled back from the slope of land that went into the black water, and went back to the flat strip of land. He gazed to the other side, the emerald-green ocean. “Part of the reason I pushed myself was Toph. She helped me break free of my passiveness. She taught me to face problems head on. That’s where Ummi and Toph are different.” 

At Aang’s use of Ummi’s name, Kuruk’s face seemed to break. “Yes. That’s where they are different. She tells you off for not standing up for yourself, for not being direct, for being passive. For everything that led to her previous incarnation’s death.” Aang felt a tear slip through, sliding down his face. “I wanted to be inactive, I didn’t want to learn earthbending, and it would have been my downfall. Fire Lord Ozai would have stayed in power if I never learnt earthbending” Aang said, walking away from Kuruk and to the emerald coloured ocean. He faced it, but didn’t go in. He sat on the earth beneath him. The earth that allowed him to stand, made it possible for him to have a choice of the black ocean or the blue ocean. 

“Toph can’t be used to hurt me like Koh did to you. Mostly because there’s no way she would let herself go out like that…but the point stands.”

He dug his hands into sand, letting the granules fall through fingers. He sighed, not in sadness, not even in happiness. But in understanding. “Thank you.” He felt a presence at his right. 

“No, thank _you_ Aang. And here comes an old friend.”

Aang looked down the strip of land, squinting. “HEI BAI!” The gentle nature spirit came up to him, nudging his shoulder with his nose. He looked back to thank Avatar Kuruk, but he was gone. Kuruk’s spirit had left, leaving only the black liquid on the other side. 

Aang turned back, folded his legs, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was time to go home. He let the firm ground beneath him steady his spirit as Hei Bai sent Aang back to the physical world. 

__________________

Aang opened his eyes, quicker than Momo in ice-water. Every one of his thoughts were in high definition, telling him to find Toph. To hug her, and smile at her. _But I can’t tell her._

He gets up from his spot, and walks out of the shadow of the tree and takes in that it was almost midday. Everything too loud and too quiet all out at once. The clearing in front of him seemed too quiet. Toph was a late sleeper, but she would have gotten up to eat by now, and the camp seemed untouched. The pot wasn’t not even on the firewood. “Toph?” 

Aang searched the camp anxious, fear began to climb.and take root in his heart.

_GRRRRRHHHH_

Aang whipped at the sound of Appa’s groan. Something was wrong. He dove into the forest at the edge of the clearing, following the sound of Appa’s groan, his fear mounting. 

_CRASHHHH! BOOM!_

The sound of rocks being ripped out from the earth and being thrown at something reached Aang’s ears, and everything he said to Avatar Kuruk about how Toph was different, and that she could take care of herself flew out of his mind. In the whirlwind of fear and pain one thought solidified in his mind as he ran. _Not again. Not again._

He ran, fear rattling around in his chest, tension building, building, building-

Aang ran out into another clearing, quickly noticing a waterfall and the five firebenders that were circling Toph. She stood there, in her underclothes fierce and unyielding. 

If Aang hadn’t been blinded by his fear he would have realized that Toph had been luring the firebenders closer so she could trap them in the water behind her, but instead he rushed forward, yelling “GET. AWAY. FROM. HER!” 

The firebenders all spun around, jaws dropping in shock as the Avatar came at them shooting blasts of air with each word. Firebender #1 on the left dove into a nearby bush, escaping into the forest. Aang sent a fireball to light the bush on fire. Firebender #2,3, and 4 shot fireballs backwards at Toph, and then jumped into the stream and swam to the otherside. Firebender #5 got caught in Aang’s air blast and flew into the cliff of the waterfall, hitting his back and falling. 

Aang raced forwards to find Toph bringing down an earth wall she had bent to deflect the fireballs. “Twinkles, what in the Loser Lord’s balls was that?” He stared at her, confused. “I was saving you,” he said dumbly. The stupidity of what he did fell upon him as he realized Toph had never been in danger. 

“I had them just where they needed to be. We would have caught the last stragglers of the group and finally, _finally,_ be done chasing after people who want to kill Zuko. And now? Now they can regroup, reform, and Sparky has no idea! He thought we would be able to handle this!” Aang looked down, ashamed. 

“Toph I-” 

“If you hadn’t come barging in here fists ablazing like Sparky, you would have seen my plan, like you have so many times before. Now we got four rebels on the loose again!” 

Aang looked back at her, guiltily trying to apologize.

“I know, I’m sorry Ummi I-”

“Yeah you should be sorry! You know how-” Toph blinked. 

“Did you just call me Ummi?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duhhhhhh. Next chapter comes tomorrow!
> 
> Thank you for reading, and for coming on my first atla multi-chaptered fic journey! Let’s do this thing!
> 
> (kudos and comments are always appreciated)


	3. Down the Stream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aang explains why he called Toph Ummi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Late but it's here! Day 5 of Taang week for the prompt 'The Past.' Hope you enjoy!

“I don’t understand.” 

Aang removed his head from his hands and looked across at Toph, who’s sitting against a rock. He moves from his spot on the sand leading to the stream and approaches her. 

“What don’t you understand?” he says, sitting down.

“Am I just a reincarnation then? Am I not my own person? Cause I don’t think-” 

Aang grabbed her hands, which were twiddling with a rock. “No Toph, you’re you. You’re stubborn and strong and bold. Nothing like Ummi was.” She looked up at him, confusion etched across her face. “Explain.” Aang let out a small smile, at least she would let him explain himself. “Kuruk was an easygoing Avatar, sort of like me in the beginning before I met you. The difference is that he never changed. He stayed like that his entire life.” Toph’s hands tightened around his , her eyebrows scrunching. “He didn’t have anyone like me, to teach him to face things head on,” she said softly. 

He nodded. “And that’s why he lost Ummi. He didn’t actively shape his own destiny. He didn’t take decisive action. And that’s why I think you’re so hard on me. Pushing me. You keep me from making the same mistake that I did with Ummi.” Toph reached up, gently resting her hand on the side of his face. Aang turned his cheek into her hand, and raised his hand to hold hers against his face. Remembering a long ago memory, Aang said, “The vision I had of you in the swamp, before I met you, someone there told me that ‘In the swamp, we see visions of people we lost, people we’ve loved, folks we think are gone, but the swamp tells us they’re not. We’re still connected to them. Time is an illusion, and so is death.’”

Toph raised an eyebrow, “Okay…”

“But I saw you. I saw someone I’d never met before. At that time I thought that since time is an illusion, the swamp was showing me my future. You.” Toph’s thumb grazed his cheekbone. “That was true, but _Time is an illusion, and so is death._ I was also seeing the past. My past. I saw you because you are Ummi’s incarnation.”

Toph stood up, her hands ripping away from his(he rose with her). Her shoulders were shaking, eyes glaring at him in frustration, as if she could truly see. “I’m not just a reincarnation! I’m me, I’m my own person, I’m the greatest earthbender in the world! This doesn’t even make sense, how can I be?” Tears slid out of Toph’s eyes, and Aang’s heart broke. He moved towards her, taking a step and reaching out with his arms. “No Aang, I’m not, I-I don’t. I just-,” with each stutter, Toph hit his chest, trying to avoid him but he didn’t let up. He became the rock that she taught him to be, and hugged her. He crushed her to his chest, tucking his head in the crook of her neck and bent down, tightening his arms. “Toph, you’re someone that I love and foolishly lost in a past life. You’re not just a reincarnation of Ummi. You’re my Sifu.” 

Toph untangled her hands that were trapped between them and hooked them behind him on his neck. She rested her head on his, foreheads touching. “Love? Not loved?” Aang moved his head, pressing a soft kiss on Toph’s nose. Her skin was surprisingly soft, and she shivered as he moved up, leaving a trail of glowing warmth on Toph’s skin. He left a last kiss on her forehead, and then met her eyes as she looked up at him. “Love. It’s not just because you’re a reincarnation of Ummi, Toph. It’s because you’re sarcastic but honest and stubborn but realistic and you talk in double meanings but I understand you and you’re playful but-” 

And he’s kissing Toph. _I’m kissing Toph!_ A giddy feeling rushes through Aang, and he falls into the kiss, his lips meeting her’s in a soft, gentle caress, like a warm breeze on a Spring day. They kiss once, slow and nervously. They kiss twice, gentle and smoothly. Their lips meet three times, full of passion and happiness. By the fourth, they kiss in a steady rhythm. And on the fifth, Toph drags Aang down onto the ground and takes his breath away with a searing kiss. 

He watched her pull away on top of him, holding herself up with her arm. Aang smiled at her, reaching forward to brush away hair that had come undone from her bun. Toph punched his arm. 

“Ow!” 

She grinned at him and said, “That’s for taking so long. I could have been having the makeouts of my life for four years now!” He rolled his eyes, but Aang could see the truth in her words. “Yeah, but I was so hung up on Katara, I didn’t realize what I was missing.” Toph rolled off of him to curl up on her side. “Yeah, and you were missing _a lot_. You don’t think Sugar Queen will care about us, do you?” He traced circles on the back of Toph’s shoulder, his touch so light on her bare skin. He thought of Katara, and how she never missed Zuko’s birthday, or Iroh’s or how she spent days at a time alone with Fire Lady Ursa. “I think she’ll be really happy for us Toph, though Sokka is definitely going to tease us.” Toph shrugged her shoulders. “He can try,” she said. 

They laid there for a moment, reminiscing on old times and their friends, remembering a time when they were all together riding on Appa. The conversation flowed from their friends to Iroh and his tea shop, and what they should do in Ba Sing Se. The couple moved from the ground to the waterfall, Aang stripping to his underclothes. He peered over his shoulder to find Toph sitting on a rock that protruded out of the water, dangling her feet into the stream. 

“I promise I’m not looking at you Twinkles,” she said, sarcasm dripping in her voice. 

“Right.” Aang replied sheepishly, sometimes it was so easy to forget. He stripped all the way down, and then waded into the water. The stream rushed by him, the waterfall creating a gentle mist that grazed in his skin cooly. Aang warmed himself up, using the breath of fire, the mist now steaming almost at contact with his skin. 

“You okay Twinkles?” Toph called from the rock. She had moved forwards a bit, most of her leg now submerged in water. Aang swam up to her and pushed himself halfway up the rock, resting his elbows next to her. “Yeah, I just wanted some steam so I made myself run hot.” Toph turned her head at him, head cocked. “Never knew you were so prissy sunshine.” 

“I am not!” he said back in indignation. “Uh huh,” Toph replied. 

Aang sighed and looked back at the setting sun. It had taken the whole day to explain everything to Toph, and they wouldn’t make it to Ba Sing Se till tomorrow, but he was okay with that. Aang decided then that he was going to live in the present, and stop worrying about Ba Sing Se and the riots and the rebels. Before the war ended Aang had always lived in the moment, and he didn’t realize that he had stopped doing that. So, as Aang watched Toph stretch out beside him start tracing on his arm he decided. No more worrying about the past, and the future. 

“Hey Toph, do you want to learn how to swim?” 

“Uh, not really?”

Aang took a hold of her hand and pulled on it. Toph sat up on her elbows to ‘look’ at him. 

“Ugh, fine.” she said, slowly slipping into the water. “How do you convince me when I can’t even see you?”

Aang scooped Toph up bridal style, but kept her half-submerged in water. He slowly moved away from the rock, bending the water so it moved them up, against the direction of the water and to the deepest area of water, just in front of the waterfall. Toph clung to him, her arms looping around his neck. “If I drown Twinkles, I will murder you.” He chuckled, and slowly pushed Toph’s back and bottom up, so she was laying flat, on the surface of the water. “I’m going to let go of you, and so are you. All you need to do is lie flat, spread out your arms, and let yourself float. He felt Toph take a breath, her chest moving against his. “Okay. In three.” she told him. Toph let go of his neck, spreading her arms out and widening her legs. “There’s no Suki to save me this time, she’ll kill you too if I drown.” 

“You got this! Okay, in three, two-” 

“WAIT! What if I can’t do it?” Toph interrupted him, her milky green eyes moving side to side. “Then I’ll waterbend some ice under you and you’ll be fine, Toph.” Aang replied. He bent down and left a faint kiss on her lips. They tasted like home. 

“Ready? Three, two, one.” 

His arms dropped away, and he took a step back as he watched Toph freeze up, and not move a bit. But she was floating. “Toph! Toph you’re doing it!” 

Toph laughed, or cackled, and yelled back at him. “I am! I’m doing it I’m-GHSHHS” 

Toph’s head went under for a second as she struggled to stay afloat and Aang rushed in, scooping her back up. “Small steps, but you held it!” 

Toph rolled her eyes at him. “Yeah, but I can hold it longer.” Aang raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” 

Toph grinned at him, and pushed off of Aang. She spread out her arms and legs and there she was, floating perfectly fine. “I was just scared,” she said, not moving her head but speaking up at the sky, “I didn’t think I could do it, and even if I did there was no point because I can’t see in the water. But hey, my previous life was water tribe, that means I can swim, I’m just holding myself back. ” Aang chuckled at her, “I don’t know if it works like that Toph.” 

“Well, I’m floating and talking by myself right now aren’t I?” Toph asked him. 

“Yeah, well TOPH YOU’RE MOVING DOWN THE STREAM!” he swam after her, catching up to her before she fell down the mini waterfall. 

“Well, I guess this relationship is two-sided now,” Toph said, cracking a smile at him. He looked at her confused. “What?” Toph shook her head at him, chucking. “Nothing.” The pair turned back, Aang making his way back to the rock as Toph distracted him by peppering little butterfly kisses on his neck. “Toph, Toph stop we’re going to-Toph!” Toph snickered, as she ticked the back side of his neck with her thumb. “Two years of this Aang, you’re welcome.”

“Only two?” he asked her, as he bent water around her ankles and lifted her onto the rock. “Depends on whether Sugar Queen dies of shock or Sparky sets his hair on fire when you see them in two years.” she said, patting the empty space beside her. 

“You mean when _we_ see them in two years, Toph.” Aang climbed his way onto the rock, rolling so he faced Toph who was playing with her space bracelet. 

“I won’t though.” she tells him pointedly. 

Aang scrunches his eyebrows at her in confusion.

Toph rolls over so they’re facing each other and then moves her hand to tap her under eyes. 

“I won’t _see_ them.” 

“Toph!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	4. Rose Milk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey y'all how you doing?
> 
> I am so sorry for the delay in updates!! This was supposed to be finished by last Sunday but life hit me like a truck and ran me over, reversed and then ran me over again. It's been rough. So, to cope with it I wrote fluff and more fluff for the prompt Day 6: The Nature. Part 2 coming tomorrow, I promise. Enjoy!
> 
> spotify link for the entire fic: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1K9viYUIAi0QypwjcyFn8F?si=mNcHj6HsTLSGVe54c3eIwA

__________

When all of the trees fall down  
And all the seas dry out  
And when we're waving goodbye to the world  
Would you find me?  
I wanna believe  
If tomorrow was not guaranteed  
Minutes to spare, if I could choose  
I would spend every minute with you

_______________

**_One Year Later_ **

Toph woke to the feeling of something soft brushing her neck. The blanket they wore rustled, arms pulling on her waist. A head snuggled onto her shoulder, lips pressing down into the crook of her neck. Like a ripple in a pond, each kiss sent a wave of giddiness over Toph, until she groaned herself awake. 

“Twinkles no...I’m not waking up right now.” 

“I’ll make breakfast?” Aang mumbled against her skin. 

She threw an arm across Aang, pulling him closer. She lowered her chin, so it rested on Baldy’s head. “No, five more minutes.” She felt toes wiggle against her legs, tracing her calves. 

“Twinkles I’m too tired from eradicating the last rebels, let me sleep” she said, hoping her hand tracing shapes onto Aang’s back would lull him back to the unconscious world. “Just call them Phoenix feathers, petal.” Toph scrunched her nose down at Aang and pushed him away indignant. “I hate that nickname, Twinkles.” she whisper-yelled at him. She heard Aang’s smirk as she felt a hand brush her hair back. “You’re lying, you love it. It reminds you of the flowers.” She rolled her eyes and sat up, as she felt sun rays seep through the cracks in the entrance of their tent and land on her and Aang. Stretching, Toph raised her arms and cracked every joint she could, finally feeling herself wake up. 

Beside her, Twinkles had already gotten up and left the tent, earthbending the entrance down. Now she could feel him moving around camp, starting the campfire and making breakfast. In the distance she could feel Appa rolling over, as Momo ran around him trying to get the berries she had given to Appa as a treat yesterday. _Who knew I would end up here. With a boyfriend and a family and travelling the world._ Sometimes Toph would wake up and be stunned into silence at how she no longer woke up to the eerie silence of her bedroom but to the sound of early morning insects and animals. After spending four months in Ba Sing Se helping King Kuei establish order, and choose Earth ambassadors to send to each nation Toph and Aang had set out to each Air Temple. They had spent months upon months rebuilding and restoring each Temple to its former glory, Aang repainting each mural with gentle, caring hands and Toph rebuilding the structure under Aang’s watchful eye. Now, after finishing at the Northern Air Temple and saying goodbye to Teo they were camped out in a forest, heading to their last stop, the Western Air Temple. 

“Petals you coming out?” Aang said, breaking Toph from her reverie. 

“It doesn’t even make sense, I’m nothing like a petal. I only ate a flower once accidentally..” she grumbled, earthbending the tent down. She stood, brushing dirt off of her clothes and walked over to where Aang was mixing something that smelled heavenly. “Twinkles, it smells so good and sweet..” she bent down and sniffed the pot, the heat circling her face but the scent of flowers reached her senses. “..like roses! What is it?” Toph felt a hand tug on hers so she sat, leaning on a rock behind them“Here, try it” Aang said. He handed her a cup, filled with the steaming liquid and she slowly tipped the cup to take a sip. 

When the liquid entered her mouth, Toph realized that it was milk, but tasted like roses, sweet yet soothing. It made her feel warm and content but awake. “Twinkles, what is this? And why didn’t you cook instead of Katara years ago?” Aang chuckled, and she heard him pour another cup for himself, and splash water onto the fire. “It’s rose milk, and I didn’t know how to make this before! One of the chefs in Kuei’s palace taught me. I wanted to learn how to make something, so we could...um..well….” Toph raised an eyebrow, waiting. She felt eyes on her as Aang shifted so he could hold the cup and hold her hand at the same time.

“I could teach you and we could cook together?” Toph smiled, Twinkles was such a sap. 

“Hey you like that about me!” Aang said indignantly. 

“I said that out loud?”   
Aang’s hand left hers and she could feel his disappointment roll off in waves. She rolled her eyes and grabbed Aang’s chin, bringing it close to hers. “Twinkles, I would love to live in domestic bliss with you, Appa, and Momo. Teach me how to make rose milk sunshine.” At sunshine she gently pressed a kiss onto Aang’s frown, and she felt his mouth break into a smile and kiss her back. “I can’t even stay mad at you can I?” he asked her when they pulled apart. She smirked. “Nope.” 

Aang reached behind him and brought up what smelled like a bunch of flowers. daislips, sunroses, firelillies, and a bunch of other flowers Toph couldn’t identify were in his hand. “Uh, Twinkles? I didn’t mean right now.” she said, pointing at the bundle. Aang moved behind her as he spoke, “I’m not using these to make a drink, I wanted to braid them into your hair, it’s so long now and it’d look so cool..” Toph patted Aang’s right leg which was stretched out next to her, his left on the other side. “Yeah, okay fine, but only if you grow your hair out.” Sensing the oncoming protest she quickly said, “I promise I won’t destroy anymore village homes while we’re fighting people!” She leaned back against Aang’s chest, already knowing his answer. “Fine….you really like my hair don’t you?” 

“Yes. It’s hot.” 

Twinkles was too easily flustered, she could tell by the fidgeting behind her at her comment. 

Aang picked up her comb that he had apparently already gotten and began brushing her hair with gentle care.“How did you manage to make me flustered when I was the one who suddenly brought up cooking together and braiding your hair with flowers?” Aang spoke, his airy voice brushing past her ears and wrapping around her like a hug. “Because I’m awesome like that.” she replied, and then subsequently moaned as Aang freed her hair from a particularly large tangle. 

“Hey Twinkles, let’s make this a daily thing?” 

“What, you making me blush?”

“No Baldy, you brushing my hair.” 

“Oh, yeah.” She heard Aang smile behind her, and then felt a whisper of a kiss on the top of her head. Toph closed her eyes and let herself relax as Aang moved his fingers, sometimes brushing her neck. She felt each braid settle, and the smell of flowers and Aang’s ozone-like airy scent envelop her. _This is what life’s about._

“Hey, petal?”

“Mhmm..” 

Aang’s fingers stilled in her hair, and she almost wanted to push his leg so he would start again. 

“I don’t know what I would do without you.” 

She placed her arm on Aang’s thigh and traced a little heart(Toph Beifong is not a sap ok?). 

“Crash and burn, probably.” 

“You know, Gyatso told me something once. And yesterday, when you complained about how it was raining I remembered it.” Toph, too curious for the suspense said, “And?” 

Aang started braiding again, and spoke, “The best kind of people are the ones that enter your life, and make you see the sun where you once saw clouds. The people that believe in you so much, that you start to believe in yourself too. The best kind of people are the ones who love you, simply for being you. The forever people.” 

Toph turned around, her hair slipping out of Aang’s fingers and she brought her hand up to cup Twinkle’s cheek. “You really did wake up sappy today, Twinkles. But, just so you know, you, Katara, Sparky, and the rest of the gaang are my people too. You guys are family.”   
Aang’s lips touched her fingertips, in a wide smile and she knew he had something up his sleeve. “What?” she asked suspiciously. 

“What if we didn’t leave today? Just spend time with each other and…I don’t know, maybe go to a field? We could spar, have fun.” 

Toph wiggled her eyebrows at him, in giddiness. “Fun? Fun is my middle name Twinkles.” She jumped up, pulling Aang up with her and they both ran into the forest. “Hey Toph, you know where to go right?” Aang called at her, slightly panting. “Yeah yeah! Come on!”   
They broke away from the trees and shrub and Toph felt the treeline and clearing meet. Now, she could smell fresh dirt, and earth as little insects buzzed by. 

“Sparring match?” she asked Aang who had wandered towards a little stream that ran through the clearing. 

“Sur-AHHH! TOPH!” Aang yelled as he dodged a boulder that she had thrown at him. “Keep up Twinkles,” she shouted back at him as she stomped her feet and sent spheres of Earth at Aang. 

“You’re on Sifu,” she heard, just as Toph felt a rush of water coming towards her. Raising her arms quickly, a wall of solid earth blocked the wave and she sent the wall forwards, pushing it like a barricade. Aang sliced the wall in half and sent it back at her, as earth discs. She easily dodged each one, and called out, “Hey Twinkles! No using other elements!” Toph moved her left foot in a circle on the ground and moved her arms from left to right, pulling up the ground on which she stood, dropping back onto the ground. Then she sent it all at Aang, breaking the piece down so they became sharp dirt shards. She smiled, knowing that there was no way Aang was going to win, not without some help from the other elements. She may love Twinkles but she wouldn’t go easy on him. 

Toph dropped her arms. Love? Did she love Twinkle Toes? Feeling an oncoming wave of earth, Toph shook her head, compartmentalizing the question for a later moment and put herself back in the sparring match. _First I’ll beat Twinkle's butt, then I’ll figure out if I love him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone spot the supernatural reference? Nope?


	5. What if...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part Two of Day 6: The Nature! Enjoy more fluff :)

Aang could tell something was wrong with Toph. She was unusually quiet as they walked back to their camp, taking a different path. The entire day they had spent sparring, splashing in the stream, and he had taught Toph how to swim in the current. They had even called Appa and Momo to the clearing for lunch, where Aang ventured into the forest for berries and veggies while Toph created bowls and cups out of earth.

After feasting on berries and the carrots Aang had found, they both took turns creating buildings, creating whole villages built out of rock. Aang made an arena, with various obstacles, where Toph then decided they should spar again. Toph made a row of homes, somehow making each one unique, with whole kitchens, living rooms, and bedrooms. Aang had peered into one and marvelled at the details. But now, as the sun lowered in the sky and they walked back, hand in hand, conversation had stilled and Toph had gotten unremarkably silent. They weaved through the forest, stepping over roots and trailing their hands against each other. 

Aang glanced sideways at Toph, who was looking down at the ground, and if he didn’t know better he would say she was searching for something on the ground. He smiled as his eyes traced her face, and took in the braid that had come a little loose in all their sparring. Most of the flowers were still there though, intricately weaved into jet black hair, pops of colour against a midnight sky of black. The braid stopped at Toph’s hips, the flower garland nestling into a bundle at the end. He had used a bunch of simple roses for the end, hoping that would help Toph one day say she loved him. 

Toph tugged on his arm, breaking him out of his admiration of her and they trudged a long to the field of flowers Aang had gone to to get flowers earlier today. As they pushed past the bushes that blocked their path, Aang knew that Toph loved him. He could tell from the way her hand gripped his tightly, her smiles and her kisses that were reserved only for him. But hopefully one day, she would be able to say it out loud, back to him. 

Aang watched Toph as her hand slipped out of his to go search for something in the field. 

“Toph? I think you have enough flowers in your hair, you’re not a vase!” Aang chuckled to himself, “And we’ve had enough rose milk today, we can’t pick flowers for tomorrow; they won’t be fresh by the morning.” he called after her. 

Toph’s head popped out over the tall sunroses and she yelled back, “I know! I'm looking for something!” 

He quirked an eyebrow in curiosity but stayed where he was, if Toph wanted help searching she would ask. So he sat, picking small daislips that were much shorter than the sunroses and started to make a flower crown. Sitting there, now in silence he remembered the letter that he had found in Toph’s bag the other day. The one from her parents, asking her to come back so they could discuss giving her the Beifong family empire. He hadn’t brought it up, knowing that Toph would tell him when she was ready, but a slight sinking sensation had grown in his stomach. Toph wouldn’t leave him, he knew that, but eventually they would have to separate. Even if it was for only a year or two. 

“Hey Twinkles! Come here!” 

Aang looked up from his flower crown, and got up quickly. Toph was standing in the center of the field, hiding something behind her back. “Okay…” 

He made his way to her, pushing past sunroses. At the center of the field, he could see the small smile Toph held, one that told him she was hiding a secret. But she’s smiling, _Is it not about the letter?_ He placed the flower crown he made on her head, and smiled at the smudge of dirt on her nose. She stepped closer to him, and Aang’s heart missed a beat. A year of being with Toph and he still couldn’t control his heart around her. She took Aang’s hand gently into her left, his palm facing up and said, “Close your eyes.” So he did, succumbing to darkness, but not really, still sensing the earth around him, the girl he loved in front of him. “I’m going to put something in your hand, then you can open your eyes.” Toph said, words rushing out of her mouth, her harsh but passionate voice coiling around him in a gentle kiss. “Okay,” Aang breathed out. 

He felt a flower placed in his hands, and he opened his eyes and looked down. A rose. A simple rose. Not a sunrose that meant joy and happiness but a simple rose. That meant I love you. Aang stared at this precious rose like it was the most important flower in the world. He looked back up and gazed at Toph, who was holding a watery grin. “I love you Twinkles.” 

And at that moment, Aang felt like the world stopped, disappeared, and it was just them. The letter disappeared from his mind, and any sadness that he felt evaporated, as the girl he loved said she loved him back. Rushing forward, Aang dropped the rose and swept Toph into his arms and spun her around, Toph giggling. When he stopped spinning in happiness, Toph wrapped her legs around him as he held her up with his arms. “I love you too, petal.” he said reverently, like a prayer. 

“I still hate that nickname, it was a one time accident, I thought it was a sugar flower.” 

“You love the nickname.” he replied, pressing kiss to the underside of her chin as he felt her gulp. 

“Eh. Debatable.”

They rested their foreheads, and breathed in each other. 

“Hey Twinkles?” 

“Mhm…” 

“I’m going to say something sappy and I’ll murder you if you tell anyone.” 

He brushed his nose against her in reply. 

“I love you, cause you give me hope, you make me happy. You’re soft, and warm, and brave and strong and my equal in every way. I wear the smile you gave me.”

Aang left a small kiss on Toph’s cheek, as he felt Toph’s lips quirk up. 

-and I know you saw the letter.” 

Aang sighed, as much as he wanted to stay in this moment and ignore problems, Toph wasn’t one for beating around the bush. Even when she was saying why she loved him. Toph untangled her legs from their hold on his waist and he let her get firmly back on the ground. 

“Let’s walk back to camp?” he asked her. 

“Yeah.”

They tangled their hands together again, fingers folding perfectly over each other as Toph pulled him along, and he followed. 

“Are you going to go back?” he started. Toph kept walking, and without hesitation said, “I have no idea.” He grinned, and replied cheekily, “I could come, meet your parents. Officially be your boyfriend?” Toph punched him in the arm with her free hand. “They would probably banish you from their estate for ‘kidnapping and seducing their daughter.’” Toph told him. 

“But you’re the one who seduced me!” he protested. Toph grinned at him and shrugged, “True, you get flustered way too easy Twinkles...maybe we could visit my parents and not get separated, but they want me to learn how to run their business.” Aang realized what she was trying to tell him, “So eventually, I’ll have to leave and you’ll have to stay to learn.” 

“Yep…though, I won’t be going back till we see our family again. We promised we’d all be at Ember Island in a year so we’ve got so much time.” Toph’s hand tightened around his. 

“I love you.” he told her, as they stepped out of the forest and back into their camping area. Appa was napping in front of the cooled firewood, Momo snacking on leftover berries beside him. The sun had started to set, magentas, purples, and oranges decorating the sky. “Me too, now enough sappiness Twinkles. You hungry?” Toph asked him. On cue, his stomach grumbled. “Y e s.” 

While Toph wandered over to their bag of supplies, Aang started a fire and placed a pot over it. Bending some water into the pot, Aang threw in some herbs that lay discarded beside the fire. 

“Baldy, which one of these do you want?” Toph’s voice called out to him. He turned around in his seat on the ground and saw Toph holding up a bundle of eggplants, carrots, and leeks that they had bought and stored from the last village they had been in. “All of them?” He had learnt a little cooking from the palace chef, not a lot. 

For the next hour, Toph and Aang bickered and cooked as Aang mustered together some sort of soup while Toph went to get some water and give some veggies and fruits to Appa. As they ate, Aang described the sunset to her. 

“There’s hints or red, it looks like the burning heat you feel from a fire, it’s like when you blush, that’s red. And then there’s these pinks, like sugars and sweets, like candy and flowers, the daislips. Pink is alive and healthy, young and vibrant. There’s orange too, right below the pink. Orange is similar to red, but it's more calm. Like the feeling you get when you put your cold hands by the fire to warm up. A warmth, not a burning heat. Those are all the colours in today’s sunset.”

After finishing dinner and setting aside their dishes, Toph and Aang laid back, Toph resting her head on Aang’s chest. The sun had disappeared from the sky, but Aang had one more thing to say: “A sunset is like hearing Fire Lady Ursa sing, it’s peaceful and soothing and pleasant. Do you remember when we would hear her singing Kiyi to sleep?” 

Toph nodded against his chest. 

“We would be in the other room of their small house and Zuko would pretend he wasn’t happy crying and Katara would pretend like she wasn’t hugging him and we would all feel peaceful. We all fell asleep listening to her song.” Toph said. 

“That’s what a sunset is like. It’s forgetting the crazy day we just had and relaxing.” 

Aang let his arm drape over Toph’s back as he pressed a kiss onto the crown of her head. “A sunset is like holding your favourite person’s hand. Quite, calm, happy and in love.”

“Ow!” he exclaimed, rubbing his side that Toph had pinched. 

“You’re so in love with me.” 

He rolled his eyes, “So are you.” 

Aang watched the stars appear, twinkling against the dark blue sky. A comfortable silence stretched out, until he was reminded of how one day he would have to do this alone. Not forever, but for a while. 

“What if we flew so high we could touch the stars?” he said, breaking the silence. 

Toph huffed in laughter, “That’s not how it works Twinkle Toes.”

“But what if we went so far underground no one could find us?”

“Now that sounds more like me.”

A few beats of silence passed. “Though I would miss making fun of Sweetness and Sparky.” Toph admitted. Aang added on: “And playing with Suki and Sokka’s twins.” 

“Those two must be so large by now, we saw them, what? 6 months ago on Kyoshi?” 

“Yeah, I think Suki figured out that we’re together, but she won’t spill. Not until we tell everyone else next year.” he mumbled against Toph’s head. 

A couple of minutes passed by, Toph leaning up to press little pinpricks of soft kisses on the underside of Aang’s chin. She rolled so that she lay on top of him, and he squirmed a bit so that she could fold her arms comfortably on his chest. He watched as Toph laid her head on her arms and stared at him. 

“Hey Aang?” 

“Yeah?

“What if I stayed with you forever?”

He smirked. “Toph, I’m not marrying you, we’re 17” 

Toph punched Aang’s chest, and Aang laughed as she rolled back onto the ground beside him. 

“It would be nice though,” he said. 

“Yeah, just you, me, Appa and Momo going around the world fighting crime and establishing peace.” 

He smiled, remembering a line from another time. “Yeah we could go wherever we wanted to. No one telling us what to do--that's the life.” 

“That’s my line,” Toph complained. Aang hit the ground with his fist, earthbending a slanted wall on one side, while Toph did the same on the other to create a tent. With a squawk, Momo ran in, and curled up on Toph’s stomach, eyes carefully watching her. 

“Looks like Momo is protective of you Petal.” Aang said, trying to hold in his giggle. 

“Hmph..” Toph yawned, reaching over to scratch Momo’s ears and then settled down next to Aang. He rolled over, and threw a leg and arm over Toph, hugging her close. 

“If you wake me up early tomorrow I’ll set Momo after you.” 

“Okay, but we have to get to the Western Air Temple tomorrow. That’ll be the hardest to reconstruct: remember when Azula threw bombs at it?” he said. 

The reply came in the sound of Toph’s steady breathing, and momo rising and falling on her stomach. He rolled his eyes, pecking Toph’s cheek with a kiss. “G’night, Toph.” 

_________________

_"You're always one decision away from a totally different life."_

_Unknown_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did my best describing colours, not sure if its adequate but I did my best. The last chapter is going to have appearances from the entire gaang, and some special characters too, so get ready! And, the update will most likely be up tomorrow night, latest the morning after. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	6. Ember Island

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the late update, this month has been....crazy. Hope you enjoy the last chapter!

_ Some things, and some people, are written in your soul with permanent ink.  _

_ ___________________ _

If someone had told Aang six years ago that he would be in love with Toph Beifong and vacationing in the Fire Nation he would have told them they were going insane. But now, that’s exactly what he was doing. He propped himself up on his elbows, the sand shifting beneath him and looked out across the beach. Mai and Ty Lee were building a sand castle with Kya, though the little toddler kept stomping on the mounds of sand. On the table behind them, Katara and Zuko were sitting across from Fire Lady Ursa engaged in what seemed like a vicious game of pai sho. 

Unconsciously, his hands moved to massage Toph’s shoulders he turned to Ursa and asked, “How’s Azula? I thought she was coming?” Zuko visibility froze, and then at Katara’s squeeze of his hand relaxed. He side-eyed them both as Ursa replied. “Spending time with Nila, she told me she wishes she could be here.” Zuko rolled his eyes at his mother and looked up at Aang. “No she doesn’t, she actually said ‘Why would I want to go to that terrible beach with your loser friends instead of sailing with my girlfriend?’”

“Zuko!” Katara cuffed his shoulder in indignation, while Ursa chuckled at the two. 

Zuko grinning said, “What? I’m not being mean, she did say that.” Aang opened his mouth, about to wonder how certain they were on Azula’s acting Fire Lord capabilities when Zuko spoke up, “Uncle Iroh is in charge while we’re away, he’ll look after everything. Not to mention that I doubt she’s actually going to bother with the council meetings.” Zuko propped his chin up and said loftily, “ _ I don’t care about your silly politics anymore Minister Geuuton, figure it out yourselves.”  _ Aang guffawed. 

“Your sister has spunk, and she doesn’t have kids! I should be spending more time with her now that you and Sweetness are parents and you’re all lovey dovey.” Toph said, bending a bowl filled with mangoes towards her. Katara arched an eyebrow at them, glancing at his hands which still rested on Toph’s shoulders, and then looked up to him. 

“Lovey dovey, huh?” Katara said, a ‘ _ What are you two up to’ _ hidden beneath her words. 

Toph started, Aang’s hands falling off her shoulders. She picked up a mango slice and held it close to her mouth. “Oh right! You two don’t know yet! Twinkles and I are,” Toph paused dramatically, “..together!” Toph popped the slice into her mouth. Aang tried his best to not burst out laughing at contrast between the Fire Lord and his lady. Zuko’s bewildered face, Katara’s ‘I knew it’ face and Ursa’s joyful expression seemed to battle each other for dominance. 

“Spirits Aang, you couldn’t tell us sooner? Come here!” 

Katara got up and came around the table and hugged him, and then stole a mango slice that Toph was holding. 

“Hey!” 

Katara sauntered back to Zuko, who was still looking surprised as ever, and sat back down. 

“Your fault for holding out on me this long, we’ve been on this island for a week and you just told me!” 

“You were too busy fawning over Rangi braiding Kya’s hair!” 

While Toph and Katara bickered, Zuko and Aang raced to the water to join Sokka, Suki, and the twins. For hours, they played, splashing and laughing and living. At one point, hours after lunch and a nap, he sat in the shallow waters and contemplated on how full his life was. He had family, friends, and a girlfriend. Sokka and Zuko were sparring, Katara, Ursa, and Suki were making seashell necklaces next to him. Toph was busy bending castles for the kids, as they oohed and ahed at her. He smiled at the sight. In the sunlight Toph gleamed with happiness, little beads of sweat making her skin glow, and her hair braided up into a bun by him. 

“Hey guys! Sokka is done losing so we should go get cleaned up for the night!” Zuko called. 

Aang looked over to Sokka, who was on the ground rubbing his head in annoyance. Roshan and Rangi ran over and jumped on him, knocking Sokka back to the ground. 

“Those two will give us a heart attack one day,” Suki commented, getting up from their circle. 

“Hey, Twinkles! Sugar Queen! Aunt Ursa! Come on, let’s go back,” Toph called, running up to them. He jumped up, reaching for Toph’s hand as Katara took Zuko’s hand and rose.

“Mom, are you going to go to your cottage? You can come back to the house with us.” Zuko said. 

Ursa smiled up at them, and shook her head. “No, don’t worry. I will get cleaned up at the cottage. I’ll pick up some things to make dinner in the market on the way back.” 

Toph pulled on his arm, and they walked away from the trio, letting Zuko and Katara try to convince Ursa to come to her old vacation home with them. 

“You think she’ll ever go in the house again?” he asked Toph, who was fiddling with her space rock bracelet. “No, probably not. She told me about her life back then. Not very happy ones.” Toph said. 

“Hmm…” 

Toph rolled her eyes at him. 

“What?” 

“Just that I can’t believe I love your stupid face.” Toph said. Aang jerked out of her handhold. 

“How do you know my face is stupid?” 

“Just do. Lover’s intuition?” 

Aang chuckled, “There’s no such thing, Petal.” 

Toph punched him lightly in the shoulder. 

“Race you to the house! No bending!” Toph cried out suddenly, running away. 

“Hey Toph, wait!”

He shook his head, laughing. His life was peaceful, crazy, chaotic and full of love. He wouldn’t trade it for anything else. 

________________________

After cleaning up, Toph and Aang head to the market, picking up flowers for the children, and then they began making flower crowns while everyone else goes to the beach to start making dinner. 

After finishing, Aang held the flower crowns in a basket, while Toph looped their arms and they made their way to the beach. 

When they reached the wooden stairs that led to the sandy beach, Toph stopped. 

“What if this is our forever?” Toph asked him. He turned, setting down the basket and wrapped his arms around her waist. Gently taking a hold of her chin, and moving his thumb across her lips, he said, “If friendships transcend lifetimes then it very well could be.” Toph flushed and moved closer to kiss me slowly, languidly.

It was but a small press of lips but still ignited fireworks deep in his stomach, and he smiled into the kiss. When they pulled a part after a moment, he let go of Toph’s waist and tangled their hands together. She pulled him along, and they descended the wooden stairs that led down to the beach again, lanterns lighting their path like fireflies on a dark night.

“Never thought I’d be here 6 years ago when I was still frozen.” he remarked, as he spotted a sliver of the moon make an appearance. “You didn’t think you’d be here 5 years ago either, you wanted to marry Sweetness?” Toph said, arching her eyebrow at him. He scratched his neck with his free hand, thinking about the twelve year boy who had been infatuated with the first face he had seen in 100 years. 

“Yeah, I thought that was my destiny.” 

Toph ran a thumb over his hand. “Well guess destiny isn’t always what we think it is.”

They made it off the stairs, jumping onto the sandy beach. In the distance, Aang could see his family preparing dinner on a picnic blanket. Katara and Zuko cooking the fish, Ursa making tea, and Sokka, Suki and the twins setting out plates. 

“Thought I was the avatar who gave wise advice.” 

Toph reached up to pat his shoulder, “You’re getting old.” 

“I am not! We’re the same age Toph!” 

He looked at Toph, and softened, somehow even though she couldn’t see her eyes twinkled with happiness and mischief, the sunset setting a fiery halo around her. 

“I love you, Toph.” 

“Love you too, Twinkles...WAIT I SMELL FISH!” Toph ran, skidding to a halt in front of Zuko. Aang chuckled, and followed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And my first completed fic, we're here!!


End file.
